(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — The fourth Muslim man killed in a possible string of murders in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been identified as a 25-year-old native of Pakistan, according to police.
Naeem Hussain was found dead from a gunshot wound on Friday near Truman Street and Grand Avenue in Albuquerque’s Highland Business neighborhood, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.
Police are investigating whether the killing is connected to the shooting death of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, on Aug. 1, as well as the murder of Aftab Hussein, 41, on July 26 — both of whom are also from Pakistan.
The November 2021 murder of Mohammad Ahmadi, another Muslim man from Afghanistan who was killed outside a business he ran with his brother, could be connected, as well, police said.
A dark gray or silver Volkswagen with four doors and tinted windows is suspected of being used in the recent homicides. There is a possibility that the model of the car is a Jetta, police said.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has sent additional state police to provide support to the Albuquerque Police Department and FBI, she announced on Saturday.
“I am angered and saddened that this is happening in New Mexico, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement after Hussain’s death was announced. “This is not who we are.”
The community has “never gone through anything like this before,” Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said during a press conference Saturday, ABC Albuquerque affiliate KOAT reported.
“This is really a surreal time for us. We’re in fear of the safety of our children, our families,” Assed said.
ABC News’ Patricio Chile and Christopher Looft contributed to this report.
(BOSTON) — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu extended the city’s heat emergency through Tuesday as Bostonians deal with a marathon of at least 95-degree days.
“With the weather forecast now showing the high temperatures and humidity lasting through Tuesday, we’re extending the heat emergency to make sure all of our Boston residents and families are safe,” Wu said in a statement.
Boston set a new record on Monday, reaching 98 degrees, surpassing a previous high of 96 degrees from 1983, the National Weather Service tweeted.
The city has reached a high temperature of at least 95 degrees for five days straight, according to NWS Boston.
The majority of Massachusetts is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Approximately 16 cooling centers will be open to Bostonians looking to stay cool through Tuesday, the mayor’s office said in a news release.
Residents will have some reprieve on Wednesday when temperatures are expected to drop to 76 degrees, the NWS said.
Millions of people in the Northeast experienced high temperatures over the weekend, as temperatures in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Hartford, Connecticut, were in the 90s, according to AccuWeather.
Officials said that two heat deaths had been reported in the Northeast over the last two weeks, one in New York City and one in Philadelphia. Authorities have warned residents of the danger of more fatalities.
For more information on staying safe in the heat, click here.
ABC News’ Kyla Guilfoil and Max Golembo contributed to this report.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Two House Democrats — from New Jersey and Minnesota — are appealing to members of their own party in Wyoming to “consider” changing their affiliations ahead of the state’s contentious Republican primary on Aug. 16 in order to back incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney.
In separate advertisements from an organization called Wyomingites Defending Freedom And Democracy, Reps. Tom Malinowski and Dean Phillips asked Wyoming Democrats to “consider temporarily switching parties” in order to vote for Cheney, one of Donald Trump’s most vocal critics, over Cheney’s Trump-backed opponent.
“Liz Cheney and I don’t agree on everything, but we’re on the same side today, fighting for our country,” Malinowski said in his ad.
“Wyoming Democrats can put country over party too, by registering to vote for her in the Republican primary,” he said. “I hope you do.”
In his ad, Phillips said: “Principle must always come before politics. And nobody has shown more honor, integrity and courage than [Cheney].” He also asked Wyoming Democrats to switch their political parties for Aug. 16.
Cheney, a three-term Republican congresswoman — as well as the vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee and former No. 3 House Republican — faces a serious challenge to hold Wyoming’s only congressional district against Harriet Hageman.
Cheney’s intense criticism of Trump’s election denial and behavior around Jan. 6 earned her the scorn of the GOP base as well as some Republican colleagues, who booted her from House leadership.
Wyomingites Defending Freedom And Democracy has spent $26,698 on ads over the last week, according to Facebook analytics, beginning to run the ones with Malinowski and Phillips over the weekend.
On their website, the group has links available for Wyoming Democrats to complete voter registration applications and change forms, along with information on how to submit that to relevant county clerk offices no later than 14 days before the primary election.
Wyoming voters can also change party affiliations at polling locations on the day of the primary or general election or when requesting an absentee ballot, the website notes. Wyoming law allows voters to switch their party affiliations back for future elections.
Malinowski, the Democratic incumbent of New Jersey’s recently redrawn 7th Congressional District, is vulnerable himself to a GOP victory in the seat he flipped blue in 2018.
Moderate Democrat Phillips separately made news last week for saying that he would not support President Joe Biden in 2024 in hopes of a “new generation” of leadership.
The new campaign to get voters to switch parties may have begun to work — at least for a few thousand registered Democrats over the past month, according to the state.
In July, 43,285 Democrats were registered to vote in Wyoming, with 200,579 registered Republicans and 34,925 unaffiliated. In August, 39,753 Democrats were registered in the state, with 207,674 registered Republicans and 33,769 unaffiliated, Wyoming elections data shows.
Still, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis earlier this year, Cheney has only a small chance of switching enough Democrats to make up for any Republican deficit — simply given how many Republicans are in the state.
Cheney and her defenders have been actively campaigning on a “pro-democracy” message, attempting to pit her and her anti-Trump minority faction of the Republican party against the former president.
Cheney released a new ad herselfon Thursday in which her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, came out in support of his daughter’s reelection campaign.
“In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump,” Vice President Cheney said. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him.”
(WASHINGTON) — Multiple sources confirm to ABC News that former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was raided by FBI agents on Monday.
The sources told ABC News that the search began at around 10 a.m.
The former president put out a statement Monday evening saying federal investigators were there and that they had even gotten into his safe.
Trump was not there at the time of the search.
Sources tell ABC News that the search of Mar-a-Lago was related to the 15 boxes of documents that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago when he departed the White House — some of which the National Archives has said were marked classified.
In January, Trump handed over the documents to the National Archives, and attorneys for Trump said they were searching for any more records they may have.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the FBI activities at Trump’s compound are court authorized.
The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment.
(ATLANTA) — Brianna Grier, the Georgia woman who died after falling out of a police car last month, died from a severe blunt force injury to the head, according to the preliminary findings of an independent autopsy ordered by her family.
“In this case, the cause of death is consistent with the severe blunt force injury that occurred inside of the head,” Dr. Allecia Wilson, a pathologist and the director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan, said at a press conference Monday to announce the findings.
Grier’s medical records from Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta showed she had two fractures, hemorrhaging and a subdural hematoma after falling out of a moving police car while handcuffed on July 15, according to Wilson.
The 28-year-old mother of two was arrested by Hancock County Sheriff’s Office deputies Lt. Marlin Primus and Timothy Legette on July 15 after Grier’s mother called 911 to report that her daughter was experiencing a mental health crisis. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Grier fell out of the car’s rear passenger door after it was not closed prior to transporting her to the sheriff’s office. She had been handcuffed in front of her body and was not wearing a seatbelt.
The results of an official autopsy being conducted as part of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s review of Grier’s death are still pending.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation told ABC News it did not have any investigation updates or comments to share at this time.
Body camera footage released in late July showed that the deputy thought he had closed the door, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The 10-minute clip shows officers struggling to get Grier into the backseat of the police car, but does not show how she ended up falling out of the vehicle.
“To put a handcuffed person in the back of a police car unrestrained … you can use your own common sense as to what likely happened, especially when we look at the pathology from the MRI reports about the violent trauma — the severe trauma and severe blunt force trauma — that caused her to be knocked into a coma and to succumb six days later,” attorney Ben Crump said Monday.
“So we continue to demand answers for this young Black mother who was experiencing a mental health crisis. She hadn’t committed a crime. She deserved to be protected like somebody worthy to protect and serve,” Crump added.
The body camera footage showed one deputy approach Grier as she lies in the road after falling out of the vehicle while saying, “How is your back door open?” to the other deputy.
Grier’s mourning parents spoke at the press conference asking for transparency and answers for their grandchildren, 3-year-old twins Maria and Mariah. They said they still haven’t been able to explain the tragedy to them.
“That’s why we’re here. We’re trying to get answers so we can finally tell them what’s going on and what’s happened to their mama,” Brianna’s father, Marvin Grier, said.
“I just want justice for what happened to my daughter Brianna Grier,” Mary Grier added, saying that she doesn’t want this to happen to any other mother.
Grier’s funeral is set to take place Thursday at West Hunter Baptist Church in Atlanta.
(ATLANTA) — The father and son convicted of federal hate crimes in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced Monday to life in prison.
Gregory McMichael, 66, chased 25-year-old Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, with his son, Travis McMichael, 36, who fired the fatal shot.
The McMichaels’ neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, who joined the chase and recorded video and was also convicted of federal hate crimes, was sentenced Monday to 35 years.
“I would like to say to Mr. Ahmaud Arbery’s family and friends how sorry I am for what happened to him on that day,” Bryan said in court, according to WSB radio. “I never intended any harm to him, and never would’ve played any role if I knew then what I know now.”
Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, told reporters after the sentencing, “When you get caught up and it’s looking bad for you, that’s when you’re trying to apologize? That’s a long time.”
“He should’ve did it day one,” he said. “‘Cause Ahmaud was lying on the ground dying and he didn’t do nothing to help him.”
Gregory McMichael said in court to the Arbery family, “I’m sure my words mean very little to you but I want to assure you I never wanted any of this to happen.”
“There was no malice in my heart or my son’s heart that day,” he said.
Travis McMichael did not make a statement.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told reporters outside the Brunswick, Georgia, courthouse, “I feel every shot every day that I wake up.”
All three men are already serving life in prison for Arbery’s killing after being found guilty of murder in a Georgia state court last fall. The McMichaels were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole while Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
The three white men were convicted in the federal case in February by a jury who decided that they followed and killed Arbery because he was Black.
After deliberating for less than four hours, the federal jury convicted all three men of being motivated by racial hate in interference of Arbery’s civil rights and attempted kidnapping. Travis McMichael and his father were also convicted of carrying and brandishing a weapon during the commission of a crime of violence. Travis McMichael was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
The McMichaels chased Arbery in their pickup truck after they saw him jogging in their neighborhood, falsely believing he had been responsible for several break-ins in coastal Georgia’s Satilla Shores neighborhood. Bryan joined the chase in his own truck, blocking Arbery from escaping, and recorded cellphone footage of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun after a brief struggle.
During the trial, prosecutors released text messages and social media posts in which Travis McMichael and Bryan repeatedly used racist slurs. Witnesses also testified to hearing both McMichaels make racist comments.
(WASHINGTON) — As President Joe Biden was leaving for Kentucky to survey flood damage, he was asked about China’s live fire military drills near the island of Taiwan.
“I’m not worried but I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are,” the president responded.
He added that he doesn’t believe the situation will escalate much further.
The war games are in response to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island, which China views as its own territory and not a sovereign state.
Despite President Biden’s doubts, China said it’s extending its military exercises, and Taiwan expressed concern that the exercises appear to simulate an attack.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 08, 1:30 PM EDT
Pentagon announces new $1 billion military aid package
The Pentagon has announced a new $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
The package includes more missiles for the HIMARS advanced rocket systems; 1,000 more Javelin anti-tank weapons; 55,000 rounds of artillery for 155mm howitzers; and armored vehicles.
“This package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons, and equipment that Ukrainians are using so effectively to defend themselves and will bring total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to approximately $9.8 billion since the beginning of this Administration,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The Treasury Department also announced Monday another $4.5 billion in direct economic assistance to help support Ukraine’s government, including paying salaries and keeping hospitals and schools open.
Aug 08, 9:49 AM EDT
More ships leave Ukraine, raising hopes for peace
Two dry cargo ships loaded with export grain were scheduled to leave the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdenne on Monday after a busy weekend that saw four additional cargo vessels sail through Ukrainian waters.
The vessel Sakura, carrying 11,000 tonnes of soy, was the first to leave the Ukrainian port of Pivdenne on Monday as part of an initiative to export grain from Ukraine, local media reported.
The ship set course for Italy in the company of another dry cargo carrier — Arizona — which left Chornomorsk, another Ukrainian Black Sea port, with 50,000 tonnes of corn on Monday. The Arizona vessel is bound for Turkey.
Another four-ship convoy left Ukraine on Sunday morning, carrying 170,000 tons of agricultural produce, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said over the weekend.
Pope Francis welcomed the safe departure of the ships on Sunday while speaking at the noon-day Angelus prayer. “This event can be seen as a sign of hope,” the Pope said, adding that the export deal charts the path forward toward peace. “I sincerely hope that, following this path, we can put an end to the fighting and arrive at a just and lasting peace.”
So far, around 250,000 tonnes of corn, as well as 11,000 tonnes of soybeans, 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil and 45,000 tonnes of sunflower meal have been exported from Ukraine on 10 ships since the first departure on Aug. 1, when the deal to establish safe corridors for ships to pass through was struck, according to a Reuters data tally.
Ukraine is planning to send up to five cargo ships a day from three Black Sea Ports in the following weeks, the local Sea Ports Authority said on Monday. Local authorities are also working to ensure that Ukrainian ports can receive at least three to five ships per day within two weeks, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Saturday.
The resumption of grain exports is being overseen by a Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, comprised of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel.
Meanwhile, the very first ship with Ukrainian grain that left the port of Odesa on Aug. 1 has been delayed in Tripoli, Lebanon, according to Ihor Ostash, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Lebanon.
“We are waiting for the conclusion of the negotiation process. Following this vessel, 20 others are already ready to leave Odesa,” the ambassador said on Sunday.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Fidel Pavlenko and Max Uzol
Aug 07, 1:35 PM EDT
Jessica Chastain meets with Zelenskyy
Actress Jessica Chastain was photographed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday in Kyiv following a meeting in which the Oscar winner expressed support for the country under siege by Russia.
“For us, such visits of famous people are extremely valuable,” Zelenskyy wrote on his verified Telegram account. “Thanks to this, the world will hear, know and understand the truth about what is happening in our country even more.”
In the post, Zelenskyy thanked Chastain for her support and published several photos of Chastain sitting at a table with Zelenskyy and two of his advisers.
Chastain has been vocal on social media regarding the plight Ukrainians are experiencing. In March, she tweeted photos published by Vogue Ukraine that highlighted the women being forced to give birth in bomb shelters are the start of the invasion.
-ABC News Christine Theodorou
Aug 05, 4:05 PM EDT
Russia shelled nuclear plant, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant Friday.
Zelenskyy said forces twice struck the plant, which is in Russian-controlled territory in the southeast, and called the action “an act of terror,” in a statement released on Telegram.
“Russia should be responsible for the very fact of creating a threat to the nuclear power plant,” he said in the statement.
The facility is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The Russian military, however, claimed it was a Ukrainian artillery strike that led to the reduction of activities of one power unit, and power falling at another.
They claimed 20 shells were fired at the city of Enerhodar and the power plant.
“Fortunately, the Ukrainian shells did not hit the oil and fuel facility and the oxygen plant nearby, thus avoiding a larger fire and a possible radiation accident,” Russia’s defense ministry said, according to Reuters.
Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency officials said the situation at Zaporizhzhia was “out of control” as routine safety checks had not been observed. IAEA officials have appealed for access to the Russian-controlled plant.
Aug 05, 6:33 AM EDT
3 more ships carrying Ukrainian grain leave Odesa-area ports
Another three commercial ships carrying Ukrainian grain have departed from Odesa-area ports under a wartime deal, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said Friday.
The vessels are bound for Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ireland, with a combined total of 58,000 tons of Ukrainian corn onboard. All three ships will undergo inspection in Istanbul, as is required under the grain exports deal, according to the ministry.
The United Nations confirmed Thursday that three more grain ships — two from the port of Chornomorsk and one from Odesa — were cleared to depart through the designated “maritime humanitarian corridor.”
On Monday, the first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain set sail from Odesa’s port under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, bound for the Lebanese port of Tripoli. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.
Aug 04, 10:24 AM EDT
Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians, Amnesty International says
Ukrainian forces attempting to repel the Russian invasion have put civilians in harm’s way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals, Amnesty International said Thursday.
The London-based international human rights group published a new report detailing such tactics, saying they turn civilian objects into military targets.
“We have documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said in a statement. “Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law.”
Between April and July, Amnesty International researchers spent several weeks investigating Russian airstrikes in the Kharkiv, Donbas and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine. The organization inspected strike sites, interviewed survivors, witnesses and relatives of victims of attacks, as well as carried out remote-sensing and weapons analysis. Throughout the probe, researchers found evidence of Ukrainian forces launching strikes from within populated residential areas as well as basing themselves in civilian buildings in 19 towns and villages in the regions, according to Amnesty International.
The organization said most residential areas where Ukrainian soldiers located themselves were miles away from front lines, with viable alternatives that would not endanger civilians, such as nearby military bases or densely wooded areas, and other structures further away. In the cases documented, Amnesty International said it is not aware of the Ukrainian troops asking or assisting civilians to evacuate nearby buildings in the residential areas, which the organization called “a failure to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.”
Amnesty International, however, noted that not every Russian attack it documented followed this pattern. In certain other locations in which the organization concluded that Russia had committed war crimes, including in some areas of the city of Kharkiv, the organization did not find evidence of Ukrainian forces located in the civilian areas unlawfully targeted by the Russian military.
Aug 03, 11:21 AM EDT
Inspectors in Turkey clear 1st grain ship from Ukraine, but no sign of more
The first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain under a wartime deal has safely departed the Black Sea, the United Nations said Wednesday.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday, with more than 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board. The vessel docked off the coast of Istanbul late Tuesday, where it was required to be inspected before being allowed to proceed to its final destination, Lebanon.
A joint civilian inspection comprising officials from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.N. inspected the Razoni on Wednesday morning, checking on the cargo and crew. After three hours, the team cleared the ship to set sail for Lebanon, according to the U.N. said.
“This marks the conclusion of an initial ‘proof of concept’ operation to execute the agreement,” the U.N. said in a statement Wednesday.
It’s the first commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian grain to safely depart the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s ongoing offensive, and the first to do so under the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative. Last month, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the U.N. to allow Ukraine to resume its shipment of grain from the Black Sea to world markets and for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.
In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Razoni’s journey a “significant step” but noted that “this is only a first step.”
No other grain shipments have departed Ukraine in the last two days and officials on all sides have offered no explanation for that delay.
The U.N. said Wednesday that three Ukrainian ports “are due to resume the export of millions of tons of wheat, corn and other crops,” but didn’t provide further details.
Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fertilizer and fuel has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but a Russian blockade in the Black Sea combined with Ukrainian naval mines have made exporting siloed grain and other foodstuffs virtually impossible. As a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.
Aug 03, 9:58 AM EDT
Thousands flee ‘hell’ in Ukraine’s east
Two-thirds of residents have fled eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast since the start of Russia’s invasion in late February, according to the regional governor.
Speaking to Ukrainian media on Tuesday, Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said some 350,000 residents remain in the war-torn region.
During his Tuesday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the hostilities in Ukraine’s east “hell.”
“It cannot be described with words,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian forces cannot yet “completely break the Russian army’s advantage in artillery and manpower, and this is very noticeable in the fighting,” he added.
Last month, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 200,000 civilians must be evacuated from the Donetsk Oblast before the weather gets colder, as there is no proper electricity or gas supply in the area for residents to heat their homes. Russian forces are also destroying heating equipment, according to Vereshchuk.
Zelenskyy has ordered the mandatory evacuation of Donetsk Oblast residents, urging them to leave as soon as possible. Those who comply will be compensated.
“The more people leave [the] Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” he said.
Although many refuse to go, Zelenskyy stressed that “it still needs to be done.”
Mandatory evacuation from Donetsk Oblast began on Aug. 1. The first two trains evacuated 224 people to the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, according to local officials.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Fidel Pavlenko and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Photo courtesy of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York
(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors have moved to seize the $90 million Airbus A319 used as a private jet by a Russian businessman and parliamentarian known as the “richest man in the Duma.”
Andrei Skoch has been a member of Russia’s national parliament since 1999 and under U.S. sanctions since 2018 because of his “longstanding ties to Russian organized criminal groups, including time spent leading one such enterprise,” according to the Treasury Department.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. issued further sanctions against Skoch and his assets for “support[ing] the Kremlin’s efforts to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“Once again US law enforcement has demonstrated that international shell games will not suffice to hide the fruits of corruption and money laundering,” said Andrew Adams, director of the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force that has been moving to seize assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.
Skoch came to own the Airbus through a series of shell companies and trusts tied to his romantic partner, according to a seizure warrant issued by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
U.S. dollar transactions were made to pay for the registration of the Airbus in Aruba and for aviation insurance premiums, each of which was a necessary expense to maintain and operate the Airbus, the document said.
Skoch is part owner of the steel company Lebedinsky Mining, which is now part of the conglomerate Metalloinvest.
The Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force is targeting sanctioned Russian oligarchs and their assets over their support for Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
“The sanctions levied by the U.S. government and the work of this task force demonstrate to these offensively wealthy oligarchs who support Russia’s military aggression that they are not untouchable, and we are dramatically impacting their way of life,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll.
Skoch, 56, is currently worth $6.2 billion, according to Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List.
(NEW YORK) — The family of Gabby Petito announced Monday that they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department in Moab, Utah, where Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie were questioned last year about a possible domestic dispute.
Shortly after Petito and Laundrie were questioned by police on Aug. 12, 2021, Petito, 22, went missing.
Petito’s body was discovered last September in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Laundrie, who was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida, wrote in a notebook that he killed her, according to the FBI.
In a press release announcing the lawsuit, an attorney for the Petito family, Brian Stewart, said officers from the Moab City Police Department “failed to properly investigate the reported domestic assault, and thus failed to fully appreciate or respond to Gabby’s life-threatening situation.”
“While the full evidence has not yet been made public, when it is released, it will clearly show that if the officers had been properly trained and followed the law, Gabby would still be alive today,” James McConkie, another of the family’s attorneys, said in the press release. “Failure to follow the law can have deadly consequences, as it did in this case.”
In a notice of claim sent on Aug. 5, attorneys representing Joseph and Tara Petito and Nichole and Jim Schmidt said they are seeking $50 million in damages.
Body camera images from the Aug. 12 incident show Petito and Laundrie talking to an officer after her 2012 Ford Transit was pulled over by Moab police. In one image, she appears to be crying while sitting in the back of a police vehicle.
The couple told police they were arguing and that Petito had slapped Laundrie, according to the police report. The couple also stated to police that Laundrie did not hit Petito.
In a statement at the time, Moab police said that “insufficient evidence existed to justify criminal charges” in that incident.
Petito had told police she suffered from severe anxiety and other medical conditions, which were redacted from the police report, and that the couple’s argument had been building for days. Police labeled the incident as a “mental/emotional break” rather than a domestic assault, according to the police report.
The incident took place about two weeks before Petito, who was on a cross-country trip with Laundrie, last spoke with her family, who reported her missing on Sept. 11.
Officials confirmed on Sept. 21 that a body found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming was Petito. A coroner later ruled that she had died of “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation.”
Laundrie returned to his parent’s home in North Port without Petito and was reported missing on Sept. 17.
Police found Laundrie’s remains in Carlton Reserve several weeks later, in October.
Shortly after Petito’s body was found, the city of Moab announced it would launch an independent investigation into its police department’s handling of the incident involving Petito and Laundrie.
In response to the independent report’s findings, the city of Moab said it planned to implement recommendations including providing additional training in domestic violence investigation and strengthening the review process for incident reports.
“As the Moab City Police Department continues its daily mission to serve our community, efforts are underway to provide additional resources and tools to assist them in addressing domestic violence incidents,” the city said in a statement. “Plans are in place to add a trained domestic violence specialist to oversee incidents investigated by Moab officers. We also will implement added and ongoing training and testing to ensure that the officers understand policies and procedures.”
The city also applauded the responding officers, writing, “Based on the report’s findings, the City of Moab believes our officers showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident.”
The city has not yet responded to the announcement of the wrongful death lawsuit.
Stewart, an attorney for Petito’s family, said they hope their planned lawsuit helps to “prevent such tragedies” as Petito’s death.
“The Petito family believes that it is important as a society to hold our governmental institutions to account for such failures and to work toward changes to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence and prevent such tragedies in the future,” Stewart said in a statement.
Last week, the Petitos announced a $100,000 donation to the National Domestic Violence Hotline through The Gabby Petito Foundation, which the family formed after her death to support victims of domestic violence.
